Top 10 Song Structures EVERYONE Rips Off

WatchMojo

Ever notice how many songs follow the same patterns? Join us as we break down the most overused song structures in popular music! From classic verse-chorus arrangements to the power ballad formula that dominated the '80s, we're exploring the musical blueprints that songwriters can't stop recycling. Which one are you most guilty of humming along to?

Transcript

00:00Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the most

00:10commonly utilized song structures in popular music.

00:13Number 10. Shorter songs, immediate hooks.

00:20Our listening habits are in a constant state of flux.

00:29This also goes for how we produce the art form, particularly in today's digestible world

00:34of bite-sized social media.

00:35TikTok especially has made it easy for songwriters to strip their music to its barest essence,

00:40crafting shorter songs that get to those hooks almost immediately.

00:45Granted, TikTok fame is as fleeting as those proverbial 15 minutes referenced by Andy Warhol

00:54back in 1968.

00:55Still, in a world that thrives on instant gratification, the success of songs like

01:00Old Town Road by Lil Nas X prove that getting straight to the point pays off.

01:04This reaps rewards not only for artists chasing viral success, but also for listeners with

01:09brief attention spans.

01:18Number 9. 12 Bar Blues

01:22It's a chord progression as old as rock and roll itself, a time-tested classic.

01:31You don't need to understand music theory in order to feel a 12 Bar Blues loop.

01:36Famous songs like Johnny B. Good by Chuck Berry and Hound Dog from Elvis Presley built their

01:40infectious energy on this very progression.

01:42Today, 12 Bar Blues numbers are largely seen as nostalgic throwbacks to rock and roll's

01:55infancy, but it's important to remember how the stuff was once seen as dangerous.

01:59Conservative voices at the time worried how the urges of youth might be encouraged by pop

02:04music's adoption of the blues.

02:05They couldn't stop rock and roll, however, and this popular song structure endures today.

02:10We're gonna rock around the clock tonight.

02:13We're gonna rock, rock, rock, no broad daylight.

02:15We're gonna rock, we're gonna rock around the clock tonight.

02:18Number 8. No Bridge

02:20Early one morning the sun was shining, she was alive in bed.

02:24There's no right or wrong way to write a song.

02:26This is why the art form remains so fun and unique.

02:29Artists like Bob Dylan prided themselves upon expanding traditional songwriting parameters,

02:34telling stories with their music in ways that were then unimaginable.

02:38His song, Tangled Up in Blue, eschewed the inclusion of a bridge,

02:41instead hammering its point home via multiple verses.

02:44The title itself is repeated as a sort of refrain or mantra,

02:53serving as a thematic connective tissue.

02:55For Dylan, the lyrics are the message,

02:58and there is no need to sully them up with extra bridges or even choruses.

03:01These decisions can still be seen today in singer-songwriters

03:05whose intentions are to share rather than just entertain.

03:08If everybody goes...

03:15Number 7. Power Ballads

03:17Just one more night,

03:19and I'm coming on this flopping, winding road.

03:24The Power Ballad wasn't born in the 1980s.

03:27Neither does it belong exclusively to the era of songs like

03:30Home Sweet Home by Motley Crue or Nobody's Fool from Cinderella.

03:33To trace its true roots,

03:35we need to turn to arena rock legends like Aerosmith and Styx.

03:38Aerosmith's Dream On, and even more so Styx's Lady,

03:41which was penned by songwriter Dennis DeYoung,

03:43serve as prototypical examples of the medium.

03:46Power Ballads were usually designed to showcase the softer side of an aggressive act,

03:57often being placed in the third or fourth position on an album.

04:00Their structure tended to be melodic and sensitive up front,

04:03with a rousing, electrifying finale.

04:05Piano and acoustics were optional,

04:07as long as the effect felt suitably sincere.

04:10Number 6. Doo-wop Progression

04:20A.K.A. 50s Progression

04:21The beauty of the 50s progression lies in its simplicity.

04:31Though it first gained traction in the late 1930s,

04:33it became more closely associated with the doo-wop era of the 1950s,

04:37hence its name.

04:38The 50s progression evokes memories of innocence and nostalgia

04:41due to its inclusion in hits like Earth Angel by the Penguins.

04:44Earth Angel, Earth Angel,

04:47please be mine.

04:52But it has remained alive since that era,

04:54being used in such modern songs as Perfect by Ed Sheeran.

04:57It's a brief looped progression that locks onto a melody

05:00and holds it for the duration of the song.

05:02I don't deserve this, darling, you look.

05:07Some tunes may throw in a bridge for variety,

05:12but the heart of the song remains rooted in that unmistakable, timeless progression.

05:17Number 5. 32 Bar Form

05:19A.K.A. Verse and Bridge

05:21Jazz standards and the Great American Songbook are goldmines for songs built on the classic 32-bar form.

05:36This song structure doesn't feature a chorus,

05:38but instead allows room for improvisation and vamping over two 8-bar verse sections,

05:43an 8-bar contrasting bridge, and one final 8-bar verse to bring it all home.

05:47Great Falls of Fire is an excellent example of a verse-bridge A.A.B.A. form,

05:51as is the theme from the Flintstones cartoon show.

05:54Flintstones, meet the Flintstones,

05:56they're the Martin Stone, it's family.

06:00For vocalists like Frank Sinatra or Judy Garland,

06:03this arrangement allowed them to showcase their talents,

06:05while jazz standards emphasized the musicality of each player as they improvised new material.

06:10Some day I'll wish upon a star and wake up where the clouds are far.

06:17Number 4. Quiet Loud

06:18Smells like Teen Spirit by Nirvana may have been composed with a traditional song structure,

06:30but its true influence lies more within its dynamics.

06:33Kurt Cobain and his bandmates were notably inspired not only by punk rock and underground heavy metal,

06:38but also contemporary alternative voices of the day.

06:48The signature quiet loud structure of the Pixies, for example,

06:51was said to have inspired how the bass-led verses of Teen Spirit contrast with its guitar-heavy chorus.

06:56Elsewhere, Washington rock band The Melvins was already pushing boundaries,

07:00exploring song structures that deviated from that era's glam metal radio dominance.

07:04Ain't time to fill up all my life, go more cast and clean!

07:09But it was Nirvana's massive public profile that convinced a generation of musicians

07:13to forego flashy performances in favor of raw, unpolished energy.

07:18Well, the lights out, it's a danger!

07:22And when you are now, entertain us!

07:26Number 3. Verse, Chorus, and Bridge

07:28What's Love Got To Do With It was a smash hit for Tina Turner back in 1984,

07:40achieving chart success by utilizing a tried-and-true formula.

07:43The song follows a traditional verse and chorus structure,

07:46while also adding a bridge for emphatic and dynamic effect.

07:49Bridges can be useful tools within a songwriter's arsenal,

07:52but not every song includes them in the process.

07:54What's Love Got To Do With It makes use of a bridge after the instrumental break,

08:07rather than before, which makes it feel impactful.

08:09The modulated final chorus assists to this end,

08:12showing just how much a well-crafted and well-placed bridge can elevate any song.

08:16What's Love Got To Do With It?

08:21Number 2. Multiple Sections and No Chorus

08:23The realm of progressive and avant-garde music

08:33isn't usually a place where traditional songwriting can be found,

08:36but complex song structures are not exclusive to just prog and art rock bands.

08:41Even acts like Queen and Billy Joel have experimented with songs that feature no chorus,

08:45and instead move through multiple propulsive sections.

08:48Bohemian Rhapsody is perhaps the most famous of these,

08:57a mini-operetta that achieved worldwide success in spite,

09:00or perhaps because, of its bold and uncompromising structure.

09:04On the other hand, Billy Joel's scenes from an Italian restaurant may not feel as dramatic,

09:08but it also tells a complex story in a similarly unconventional manner.

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09:33Number 1. Verse Chorus

09:37Homer Simpson said it best when he yelled

09:46Get to the working overtime plan!

09:48And sure, working overtime may not be the chorus to Backman-Turner Overdrive's Taking Care of Business,

09:53but the sentiment remains.

09:55We love a good chorus, to the point where it's often the only thing we retain from many hit songs.

10:00Taking care of business!

10:02Every day!

10:03Taking care of business!

10:06Everywhere!

10:07We're often so excited to get that shot of dopamine that we forget the verses even exist.

10:12But without that push-and-pull dynamic, or working overtime if you will,

10:15the payoff wouldn't feel nearly as good.

10:17The A-B-A-B structure of songs like Smoke on the Water ensures that the chorus is the star,

10:23because it's in stark contrast to the verses.

10:25That is the secret that turns good songs into hits.

10:28Smoke and water

10:32Fire in the sky

10:35Are there any songs with a totally unique structure that you dig?

10:38Let us know in the comments.

10:40You got your gum original, you got your gum original

10:42Our Angela Dana's gum original

10:45Did you enjoy this video?

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10:53Have a great day!

11:10Have a great day!

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